Self-Introduction
I work as an assistant manager in a global financial institution. Currently I am pursuing my MBA at Asian Pacific International College. The reason why I am pursuing the MBA at APIC is to enhance my competencies. As a management leader, my plan is to effect management changes that suit the organizations objectives for a competitive edge. I purpose to create a good work environment through effective administration, daily management, and leadership strategies. My goal is to become the head of an organization but I will have to go through another managerial position to get to the top. While working at a global corporate organization, I discovered that the managerial structure of the company had a hierarchy of levels based on competence. Determined by skills and the ability to handle tasks competency helps professionals to survive in the midst of change and uncertainties. The lower level managers have more responsibilities because they are in charge of teams hence must ensure professionalism. Group competence and individual competence is important because of the focus. Since they were responsible for performance management, they had to ensure that each individual was up to task in competencies. On the other hand, the department heads were responsible for specific units including the team leaders.
Top-level managers have more meetings even though their role seems to be more of an oversight. An organization’s productivity depends on a combination of factors. Professional managers use sociocultural competencies to achieve performance in an organization. The continuous growth of the organization depends on the employee effort as well as organizational initiatives. Although some workers have inbuilt capacities such as interpersonal relationships, they also need professional qualification to deliver. This made me appreciate the importance of academic training because it prepares the employee for competitiveness. This essay illustrates the role of leaders in an organization using the example of a senior level manager. Kimono Liu is the head of operations at the international financial institution and is answerable to the executive directors. Leading a business entity with an employee capacity of 8000 employees and cross border branches requires skills and competencies.
Throop and Castellucci (2009) share philosophies and self-assessments for holistic personal and professional development. These ideas helped me to embark on a journey of self-improvement through learning. By weighing my strengths and setting for myself goals, I am able to determine the direction that I take. I also observe practical examples from leaders like Mr. Kimono. Employees are assets in an organization because of the values, and skills that they possess. Organizations compete for market share and supremacy in business operations. The service industry depends on people to thrive and qualified professionals have an edge in the selection and recruitment processes.
Socio-Cultural Competencies For Professional Development
Leadership stands out as the winning strategy because of the human intelligence and emotional support. While working at a bank, I studied one leader, for practical applications to this theory. Mr. Kimono is the head of operations at a global bank. He has a Chinese background but he manages a multicultural environment. As the head of operations in this company, he has a wide array of experiences having worked in more than five leading organizations. He has managed different roles in the Telecommunications, Media, Health, Insurance and Auto care industries. Market systems today have stiff competition and managers want a team that can deliver in the midst of tough challenges. In his opinion, it is crucial for organizations to invest in talent development as a strategy for excellence. Integrating different talents and skills gives an organization an upper hand in its industry. This is what he pushed his juniors to achieve through competence defined by organizational objectives (Schwartz, 2012). I am also a leader with fewer responsibilities and I know that I have a lot to learn in this aspect.
Sociocultural competencies are the human development factors such as motivation, personal development and leadership (Green, Kruckerberg, and Amann, 2011). Besides leadership, commitment, personal skills, learning, creativity and self-motivation are important. Mr. Kimono is a leader who is in charge of different personality traits of the employees. Human Resource Management practices support employee’s attitude and achievements. In his tenure, 3 out of 5 companies that he headed received awards. He has a unique ability to turn organizational failure into success. His first win was in an organization, which had, ran into debt, ending up in bankruptcy. He got the job as the CEO and his assignment was to revive it back to business. He was able to do this in a span of three years. His secrete was in performance management through motivation of employees. A positive attitude always gets the job half done. Employees depend on motivation to perform and organizations have a responsibility to encourage this. One way to do so is through personnel improvement programs like training and team building exercises.
Competencies such as cognitive skills, communication, problem solving and analytical skills depend on individuals. Different employees in a global organization possess these skills at different levels. Some are proficient while others have a little bit of each in every subject. Values and ethics boost these personal competencies. Great leaders like Mr. Kimono depend on vision and strategy and finding the right people is key to leading (Collins, 2016, p, 26). For Employees choose to work hard in order to achieve their goals. The sociocultural perspective looks at the professional as well as individual characteristics. Individuals make personal choices to improve themselves. In the MBA class, I have colleagues, who are bilingual but others are better at analytical skills. Professional bodies as societies also have specific principles that employees have to abide by. Before obtaining a graduate degree, I had to have good communication skills. This is practical in the work environment especially in official communication. Attributes such as honesty, respect and hard work are ethical but they also depend on an individual’s resolve. Each individual employee also has beliefs and practices that determine their drive to performance. For some, monetary gain was the driving force but for others, passion made them keep their jobs. The best employees are passionate about their work. This instills in them the desire to become creative, improve the industry and effect change. In the technology industry, this is crucial because of constant innovations.
Leadership
Self-direction is the ability of an individual to guide themselves without supervision. Leaders like Mr. Kimono have their positions because of these traits. The ability to remain committed, and have the right attitude is rare. Leaders remain positive in the midst of challenges in order to motivate others. Mr. Kimono is a promoter of integrity and he believes in encouraging employees’ to pursue personal development goals. On top of the organization’s agenda is creativity and innovation. The research department is concerned with this but during Mr. Kimono’s tenure; all department employees underwent training in new technology applications. Workers received the training with a positive attitude because it was a boost to personal development too.
Cole (2003) points to the changing global environment and the new management practices. In the new era, leadership and personal attitude faces challenges because of the market driven organizational practices and strategies. Personal initiatives as part of sociocultural competencies means potential leaders must cultivate competency through experience. Mr. Kimono’s specialty was in operations but he has managerial experiences in different industries. This is possible because business organizations have similar operations. I had a colleague who was a unit manager in customer care even though he had a degree in engineering. What gave him an edge was the 3 years of experience in the department. Exposure gave him the right communication skills and attitude. Mr. Kimono encouraged professionalism in delivery of duties. At one point, a worker lost his job for failing to follow protocol in communicating with the customer. All companies have the ability to become better because good is the enemy of great (Collins, 2016). However, the organizational culture has to motivate or drive the individual employees and their teams to perform.
Successful managers and organizational leaders recognize the power of technology as a driver of change. It affects all industries and businesses cannot thrive without modern communication tools and equipment. The invention of e-commerce means that Mr. Kimono does not have to manage operations physically. He can hold meetings through video conferencing and there are industry specific software applications to help him manage. For example, organization need, office applications, accounting software, spreadsheets and databases. Upgrading the organizational systems with quality and improved structures improves delivery. It is up to Mr. Kimono to ensure that the IT department has provisions and enabled capacity for advanced technology tools and services. Cloud computing is one of the modern internet management tools for large organizations. Investment in technology application is important because it determines an organization’s competitive edge through improved operations for higher revenues and efficiency.
Attitude
Most outstanding companies in the contemporary system started small. Achieving greatness starts from humble beginnings and develops through strategy. Following Mr. Kimono’s case example, I concluded that leaders determine the direction taken by an organization (Wolfgang, Katja, and Green, 2011). This explains why business leaders in the technology industry like Steve Jobs excel. Individuals find solutions to problems in society through business models. An idea without competent skills and a visionary leader is a waste. In my own small world, I realized that sharing the right ideas with the right leaders shapes them to success. Therefore, leadership is as important as communication and a positive attitude.
Cultural considerations of language, beliefs, lifestyle and practices also benefits management decisions. Mr. Kimono’s multicultural team undergoes thorough screening during the recruitment process. Employees have to prove that they have experience working in a multicultural setting. Some sections required multiple language skills. I was fortunate to train in French, Chinese and German languages. This was a plus for me, especially during the short listing. This is a trend in the elite firms (Rivera, 2012). Language is part of professional development and it improves communication. In my experience, I also came to the realization that socio cultural professional development also covers exposure. I could see the difference in how fresh graduates interacted with employees from different cultures. Lack of confidence, not being able to comprehend directions hindered the performance of tasks.
Cole, (2013) considers time and stress management, networking goal setting and workplace learning as crucial. He reiterates that leaders should lead by example. This is crucial because it enhances performance. Since my goal is to attain maximum performance at work, I plan to use a blend of the right competencies. These skills are crucial for professional and social development. As a manager, I need the right mental attitude. This is possible if I balance work and social life. These competencies help me to obtain the right attitude socially. I need ethics and values in order to keep my friends. People like a positive person hence my attitude towards others matters. If I can avoid stereotypical judgements about people, I am certain of having friends from cross-cultural backgrounds.
Through self-direction, I make the right choices about family. This is an important attribute because my work is likely to cause family tension due to travel opportunities and work overload. Managers have to work on extra schedule because of deadlines and the demanding tasks. Having a partner who understands and supports my effort is crucial. I know that working for a global organization will also imply that I send some workers in foreign countries. Being sensitive about the plight of their families makes me a good leader whose concern is not just performance but employees welfare too (Carloplo, Andrewartha, Whetten and Cameron, 2013). Behavior change as an integral part of professional development involves a change in mannerisms, etiquette and conflict management. Since I will be in charge of teams, I need to participate in professional networking so that I can learn how to handle professional dilemma. This calls for ethical practices, negotiation and communication skills to influence others. I agree with Miller and Angaza (2012) that creative thinking is necessary for the contemporary world. Driven by passion and wisdom I purpose to create solutions rather than just make money. I plan to use my skills to solve problems in the world around me. In the same way that the Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) develop the community, I also purpose to make the world a better place through relationships.
Generic Competencies
In conclusion, a competent personnel exhibits superior performance. This is what differentiates leaders from followers. Selflessness in ambition is the key to creating successful organizations because business leadership is about steering the professionals and organizations to development, (Collins, 2016, p, 39). This is how Mr. Kimono managed to excel in his area as a leader. Great companies fail because of failure to innovate and meet the changing customer needs. Good managers are able to discern sudden changes from the external environment such as disruptive technology (Christensen, 2011). This is because employees adopt to change easily if the organization facilitates for these changes effectively. For instance, employees from one country would be willing to travel for work in a different location if the terms of employment and compensation package is favorable. Sometimes Mr. Kimono would show up unexpectedly in a branch to have lunch or a discussion with employees. This gave the workers a chance to share their grievances, and discomforts with their leader. It made him part of the team.
Borrowing from these the sociocultural perspectives, I envision myself leading an international organization in the near future. I am giving myself 5 years because I need this year to complete my MBA after which I will search for better management positions. To start, I will work as a unit manager for 3-5 years after which I am confident to become a top-level manager. It is easier to succeed with this objective if I have the right skills. Competency implies professional and personal development, networking and focus. I will need self-organization to attain this goal. I also need autonomy because of the stiff competition amongst professionals. Environmental scanning is an important step towards blue-sky thinking as it improves self-assessment and professional development. The best organizations to work for pay well but they also have requirements on the kind of employees they hire. Since my plan is to work in such companies, I need to polish on my professional and personal competencies
Reference
Carloplo, J., Andrewartha, G., Whetten, D. A and Cameron, K.S. (2013). Developing management Skills: A comprehensive guide for leaders. Australia. Pearson.
Christensen, C. 2011. The Innovator’s dilemma: The revolutionary book that will change the way you do business. Harpers
Cole, G. A. (2003). Management theory & practice. UK. Cengage
Collins, J. (2016). Good to great: Key takeaways, analysis & review. Harper Business.
Miller, D. and Angaza, J. (2012). Wisdom meets passion: When generations collide and collaborate. UK. Thomas Nelson
Green, M and Kruckerberg, K., Amann, W. (2011). Leadership and personal development; A toolbox professional for the 21st Century (HC). UK. Information Age Publishing.
Rivera, L. A. (2012). Hiring as cultural matching: The case of elite professional service firms. American Sociological Review. Vol 77 (6), pp 999-1022
Throop, K. R., and Castellucci, B, M., (2009). Reaching your potential: personal and professional development. Fourth Edition. Wadsworth Publishing
Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online readings in Psychology and Culture. Vol 2 (1), 11
Wolfgang, K., Katja, K., Green, M. 2011. Leadership and personal development: A toolbox for the 21st Century professional. IAP
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